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Iowan Magazine, Fall 1998
A School Like No Other By Mary Kay Shamley FAIRFIELD -- Meditators in Fairfield are finding academic success by breaking out of the mold cast by other Iowa schools. A visitor to the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment finds plenty of differences--but also finds that kids will always be kids. Cars pull slowly up to the curb, one following another in a familiar morning ritual. Doors open and youngsters spill out--waving good-bye to their drivers, chattering with one another, rearranging books and backpacks as they head up the hill to class. It's how school days begin all across Iowa. But this is one of the two private schools in Fairfield (the other is Fairfield Christian) and that's where the similarity ends. Because these particular children are heading up the hill to Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, a pre-kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade system unlike any other in the state. The School is an outgrowth of Maharishi University of Management, located just north of this three building complex. Both the School and the University are run by people who practice Transcendental Meditation, TM, in fact, is basic to the whole educational system. Students, even the youngest, begin their day in meditation. Some high schoolers engage in yogic flying, an advanced form of meditation. There are differences too. These kids wear uniforms, green and gold jumpers or sweaters and skirts for the girls, ties and tan trousers for the boys. Although uniforms are found in some private schools, public schools at the most have dress codes to discourage clothing related to gangs. Many of these kids are vegetarians who bring their own lunch, go home over the noon hour, or visit one of the Fairfield's eclectic blend of restaurants. The students study Sanskrit, an ancient language that originated in the area of India. They begin the study in kindergarten, learning first the alphabet, then the sounds and, finally, in tenth grade, grammar. Except for few upper level courses, the students are in gender-separate classes all day long, a practice that is rare in public schools in the state. Want more? The high school athletic roster excludes football because of the injuries it produces. Students stand when called upon to recite in class. They watch little television. And it appears that they take their studies very seriously. So if you visit Fairfield, can you tell the difference between a Maharishi student and one from the Fairfield Community School District? Probably not. In both schools, the girls tend to work cooperatively, supporting one another in a generally quiet atmosphere. The boys tend to compete to answer a question, and the younger ones wiggle almost constantly in an atmosphere charged with energy. Children from the two systems mingle with each other in their neighborhoods and play together on league baseball and basketball teams. High schoolers talk about who's dating whom and what's happening next Friday night. Some go to each other's proms. The reality is that Maharishi School kids are alike and they are different. lt's a reality that has enticed parents from throughout the United States to move to Fairfield. They've bought homes, opened businesses, or taken new jobs. They've joined the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and become part of local church congregations. (TM has no religious base and many meditators are active in mainstream religious congregations.) Today, Fairfield consists of 3,000 meditators and 7,000 non-meditators. The Twohy family's story is common.. Californians Louise and Kevin both practiced TM before they met and married in 1979. In the early `80s, they traveled to Fairfield three years in a row to attend courses at the University before moving here. That was 13 years ago. Since then, daughter Michelle has graduated from Maharishi School and is at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Christine is an eighth grader. "Over the years, there's been more of an acceptance of the school," Louise says. "I think a lot of that is because so many of our kids participate with public school kids in sports programs. Kevin, too, sees a real mingling of meditators and non-meditators. He is president-elect of the Chamber, a position he reached after years of community service. Kevin isn't surprised that a meditator will be Chamber president. "A significant percentage of the members are meditator-owned businesses," says Kevin, who is a co-founder of PackageNet, Inc. "Besides, in this town, you're looking at people who are broad-minded." He points out, too, that while the TM community is a numerical minority - it has positively impacted the town financially and economically. "We have five banks here," he says. "How many towns of 10,000 support five banks? And all of them just built new facilities within the last 12 months. Plus, there are more than 50 software companies here. Governor Terry Branstad has referred to Fairfield as Silicorn Valley." Dave Reiff, president of both Reiff Grain and Feed, Inc. and the Fairfield Economic Development Corp., calls Fairfield a "bright spot" in the lower tier of Iowa counties. "We have gradual growth here and a diversified base including agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries. Crime is about nil, and it takes five to seven minutes to get clear across town. It's a good place to live," Reiff says. As for it being a two-community town, he believes a lot of gaps are being bridged. In fact, his family may be reflective of Fairfield's unique cohabitation. His younger children swim and play tennis on the Maharishi campus, his son-in-law is a meditator. "Even though the meditators have been here for 20-plus years, we (non-meditators) don't understand," Reiff says. "We just kind of leave it at that." That's probably the best assessment you'll hear. Meditators and non-meditators rarely speak negatively of one another and are anxious that a picture of conflict or confrontation not be painted. And, everyone adds, the children are least phased by any "differences." If Kent Sugg were to divide Fairfield into two communities, he'd call one the University community and the other the town community. "We're just like any other college town," says Sugg, who is with the university's theater arts program. "This university was established 23 years ago. That's 23 years of integration. I moved here from Colorado 16 years ago to study at the University. But I also feel very much a part of the Fairfield community. This is my home." To understand the School and the University, one must first understand Transcendental Meditation, which is fundamental not only to the educational system but also to the daily lives of 3,000 meditating Fairfield residents. Transcendental Meditation was developed almost 40 years ago by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian scholar and scientist now living in Holland. TM is a procedure, not a belief or behavior. Twice a day, for 15 to 20 minutes, the meditator sits comfortably with eyes closed. Almost immediately, the mental activity settles down, allowing the person to reach a state of "restful alertness," called Transcendental Consciousness. As the activity of the mind is reduced, the body spontaneously gains a state of deep rest, releasing accumulated stress and revitalizing the nervous system. Practitioners say the resulting development of mind and improvement in health allows them to enjoy increasing success and satisfaction in life. According to Craig Pearson, executive vice-president at the University, more than 500 studies based on empirical research validate the positive effects of TM. Studies involving mental potential, health, social relationships and world peace have been conducted around the world. "Studies we conducted [in Fairfield] with TM practitioners and control groups have shown an IQ increase of five points with people who practiced TM for a year," says Pearson. "Additionally, there was an IQ increase of 9 points with people who practiced TM for four years. The age of the practitioner didn't matter." Pearson says such IQ studies have enormous implications. "Nobody ever found a way to increase IQ after adolescence before. Obviously, we believe incorporating TM into a student's life is the way education must go. We get a lot of visitors, and even those who are the most jaded see a difference after an hour." In 1971, the Maharishi International University opened in Santa Barbara. CA, but soon administrators were looking for a bigger campus. In 1974, they purchased the defunct Parsons College campus in Fairfield. Iowa was an excellent choice since the state already had a good reputation for education," says Jennine Fellmer, director of public affairs. That same year, Maharishi School opened for 12 elementary-age children of University faculty. Nine years later, the first class graduated. Today, enrollment is 600, with 150 in the high school. Graduates numbered 11 in 1996 and 33 in 1997. In May 1998, there were 50. Growth on campus is rapid, too. Fairfield's Telegroup, Inc.. an international long-distance telecommunications provider, wired classrooms for the ethernet (a networked system that hooks all the computers together). A combined computer lab, library, and media center opened in late 1997. Yet to come is a high-tech greenhouse where students will grow crops based on the principles of Maharishi Vedic agriculture which includes organic techniques. A long-term goal is to have one school for the girls, another for the boys. The school system is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and has been granted the status of College Preparatory School by the Iowa State Board of Education. But all of this comes with a price tag: Tuition is $7,350 a year for pre kindergarten and increases to $ 8,290 for upper level grades, average for private schools in the midwest, says the Independent Schools Association. About 30 percent of Maharishi students receive tuition assistance, either as tuition reduction or as aid from one of several Fairfield foundations established by meditators. Maharishi curriculum includes the usual--math, science, language arts, social studies. It also includes the unusual--the Science of Creative Intelligence, a subject taught at all grade levels. Dr. Chris Jones, associate professor of education and chair of the Department of Education at the University, says a central principle of the Science of Creative Intelligence is that "everything undergoes orderly growthÑthe human body, the star system, a tree. It's the creative drive of nature to expand and grow. We can't know less tomorrow than we do today." This ordered growth and creativity are found in every discipline including the curricular disciplines. "We teach students how all subjects grow in orderly fashion from the simple to the complex as well as how all subjects are connected to one another," says Jones. The integration of subjects is a trend in public schools as well. Dr. Phyllis Staplin, director of curriculum in West Des Moines, offers an example. "The study of time can include studying the earth's rotation and how time was measured throughout history," she says. "The teacher can link it with geography by talking about different time zones. Clocks can be torn apart and rebuilt, with students studying the differences between mainsprings, gears, and microchips. Math is connected as students calibrate the time to send e-mail to Sweden. Or you can integrate the biological clock of plants, animals, and humans." Jones calls this a holistic approach to learning because students relate subjects to each other and ultimately to themselves. The subject matter must be meaningful to them," he says. "Otherwise students have no interest in learning about it." And if there's one message that people at Maharishi School want to get across, it is that their students have an interest in learning. They believe the daily practice of TM, a requirement for both teachers and students, helps encourage that interest. Youngsters through third grade practice the children's technique at home, fourth through sixth grades practice the adult technique at school in the morning and at home in the evening. It's those seventh through twelfth grades that an outsider notices. Twice a day they meet for group meditation in the Hall of Bliss. Other than the steady hum of motors circulating the air, quiet permeates the expansive rooms. In the south Hall, girls sit on blankets or lean against back jacks, facing east. In the north Hall, boys do the same. Some stare ahead, others close their eyes. No one speaks or giggles or fidgets for 30 minutes. When you meditate," says Dr. Ashley Deans, the School's director, "there is a natural tendency of the mind to go where it is more blissful, more creative. TM is not concentration or contemplation. Rather it is a technique which allows the mind to transcend thoughts. Ultimately, the mind experiences inner peace and the body experiences deep relaxation. Students' minds are fresh and alert, and their bodies have more energy. That makes them ready to learn." Indeed, there is a noticeable difference when one walks the halls of Maharishi School. It's more orderly, quiet, more on the serious side. No jostling or shoving or shouting. "We're here to do a job," says one young man. And that job is to learn." Classes too, are quiet, orderly. The older the students, the more focused they seem. The boys in Tom Fishback's fourth grade stand to answer questions. The teacher says that helps build students' ability to speak on their feet. "Plus," he adds, "if someone is standing, the others are less likely to start talking." Fishback finds that in an all-boys class, everyone feels free to respond to questions. "There's not the dynamics going on like there are when both sexes are in the room," he says. A fifth grade girl responds to a visitor's question about gender-separate classes. "I like not being in class with the boys," she says. "When we used to be in class together, if you gave a wrong answer, they made fun of you." Seventh grade boys interrupt a discussion of the need for capital letters and complete sentences in a report to talk with a visitor about meditation. "If I don't meditate, I get headaches," one young man says. "Meditation clears my mind of unwanted thoughts. Then I can think about school. I always meditate. It's something you just do, like brushing your teeth." In unison, Mary Lee Wood's tenth grade girls read Sanskrit aloud. "Sanskrit uses the actual basic impulses or frequencies of nature," Wood says. "So by reading it out loud, students enliven the basic impulses within their own physiology. On a very basic level, Sanskrit is who you are." (Wood believes, Maharishi is the only high school in the country to teach Sanskrit.) Soon-to-graduate senior girls talk pensively about their growing up years in Fairfield. Says one, "We're all friends in this school and really like that. But I also have friends in public school. They accept us." Adds another, "There used to be a lot more tension between the two high schools. We are just like they are, but we have this extra knowledge because we practice TM." You don't really hear Fairfield people speak of "tension" between the two school systems. Maybe five or six students a year transfer from one school to the other, generally between elementary and middle school or between middle and high school. Steve Triplett, principal of Fairfield Middle School, says those are already times of major change for students. "We have students coming here from five elementary schools as well as those who may transfer from Maharishi School. We don't differentiate who comes from which school," Triplett says. "Our job is to help all the kids feel comfortable here." Dr. John Kelley, superintendent of Fairfield Public Schools, says he isn't surprised by the growth at Maharishi. "You have people moving here because they want their child in that system," he says. "That school, like schools in general, represents major changes from what we knew, say 20 years ago. Society demands change and that's what drives schools--public or private." Approximately 95 percent of the Maharishi graduates will continue on to a college or university: 50 percent will go to Maharishi University, another 20 percent to the University of Iowa. Obviously, the School is successful academically. Consider: - Grades 9-12 score in the 99th percentile on the Iowa Test of Educational Development--both nationally and in Iowa. - Two seniors out of last year's class were named National Merit Scholars. - Students place first in the American High School Math Exam in their Iowa division. - Students win or place in Academic Decathlon, Junior Physical Science, Iowa History Day, Odyssey of the Mind and Iowa High School Speech Association contests. "As far as athletics is concerned, Maharishi students bring home golf and tennis state championships. The use of meditation before golf meets was featured in a story in Sports Illustrated. Some public school districts in Iowa can boast of similar success. Even so, Pearson attributes part of the Maharishi success to TM. "We add something to education that you can't find anyplace else--the development of the student's consciousness," he says. Could other factors be credited for that success as well? Probably, but that's not something you can prove with hard data. Most likely, Maharishi children are part of economically comfortable (if not successful) families where the parents (most likely two of them) value education and work with the School. Deans certainly does not deny the validity of such assumptions, but says such data isn't gathered for public school students. Maharishi graduation will be in mid-June. For many of the graduates leaving home, next fall will be their first experience outside of a TM community. No one seems daunted. "I look at what I have to do in college and I know I am really strong inside and always will have that strength," one senior girl shares. "I feel connected with myself and with the world. Meditating gave me that, and no matter where I go, I'll always feel that way." --Mary Kay Shamley is a Des Moines writer and author of server books. Reprinted with permission of The Iowan Magazine, Des Moines, Iowa. |
